Isha Upanishad General Introduction The Upanishads are called Vedanta, the Conclusion of the Vedas. Conclusion can mean the last portion and also the last analysis or exposition. The Mantras and The Brahmanas together are called the Vedas. The Samhita section, known as the Mantras, is the oldest and the original base of the Vedas. The spiritual experiences of the Rishis and the secrets of their sadhana have been elaborated in the The Brahmanas. The Brahmanas consist of three parts the Brahmana, the Aranyaka and the Upanishads. The three are linked and have a continuity amongst themselves. They are so intermingled, one with the other, that at times it is difficult to ascertain where one ends and the other begins. This goes to prove that the Vedas are the vehicle of an integral and whole Idea or Ideal, and any one part of the Vedas is not contradictory to or a negation of the others. The intuitive experience in the Mantras is elucidated rationally or intelligently in the Upanishads. One can say that the Upanishads are truly the Vedanta, both as the last section of the Vedas as well as the final analysis of the Vedas. Just as Vedanta is the final exegesis of Vedism (Vedavada), so is Siddhanta the final elucidation of the experiences of the Siddhas. The propounders of Vedanta were the Rishis, those of Siddhanta were the Munis. We find in the Bhagawad Gita, The foremost amongst the Siddhas is Kapila Muni. The Samkhya propounded by Kapila is one of the oldest Indian philosophies. It is Munidhara the Muni Tradition or Tarka Prasthan, which is Reason, the way of the Rationalist. Vedanta, on the other hand, is Rishi dhara The Rishi Tradition or Mimansa Prasthan, the way of the critical analysts. The one looks within himself, whereas the other looks without. The Muni closing his eyes goes within and sees himself or the Atman, and the Rishi with eyes wide open sees gods or Brahman everywhere. It is this Rishi who proclaims aloud, The Purusha there and there, I am He; The Purusha who is in me and the Purusha in that Sun, the Two are One indeed. 2 Thus, beginning these pilgrimages from two different viewpoints or different angles, the Vedanta and the Siddhanta both merge in one Integral Realisation of the Supreme Truth. We see in the older Upanishads these broad and vast flashes of Truth like the Sun shining in the blue skies. These flashes of Truth are the true meaning of the Vedas, of which the Upanishads are the conclusion. Just as Vedanta and Siddhanta are complementary to each other, so in Vedanta or Vedism, Jnanakanda (Book Of Knowledge) and Karmakanda (Book Of Deeds) too are complementary to one another. Pure Brahmanas detail the Karmakanda i.e. the section related to Deeds i.e. codes of conduct, and sacrifices and their rituals; whereas the Upanishads give us the Knowledge of attaining Brahman. The Aranyakas which are texts recited in forest hermitages give us both. It is but natural that Deeds and Knowledge are complementary and go together. Desire or Will is the driving force behind all deeds. Behind will or desire is the knowledge of the goal and its impetus. The ambition of Vedic deeds is to attain Immortality, Vast Light, Great Illumination,
Supreme Bliss or Union with the Divine. As a result of our deeds, this becomes very clear and evident in one s consciousness. From the Brahmana to the Upanishad we see the amplification of the Bhagawad Gita s dictum, 3 All deeds end in knowledge. The The Upanishads are part of the Brahmanas, and do not contradict them. The true meaning of the word Brahmana is the Dialogue or Discussion of the believers or followers of Brahman, i.e. questioning or enquiry, complete meditation upon it and the conclusions arrived at regarding Brahman. In the Veda Brahman means the Inspired Divine word or Mantra revealed that is in the hearts of the Rishis because of the explosion of their consciousness. It has its bearing on both knowledge and works. As an example, we can mention the Hiranyagarbha Sukta 4 of the Rigveda. In its refrain we have Kasmai devaya havisha Vidhem who is the God toward whom we will move and dedicate our offerings. In the first three feet of the mantra, the particular God is introduced. Here the offering and moving toward God is the deed or work and the introductive passage is knowledge. Work is done for the sake of Knowledge (and attainment). The questioning is also a part of the mantra. Questioning or enquiry is necessary for works as well as knowledge. The two are complementary. There is no difference whatsoever between those who carry on dialogue about Brahman whether in the Brahmanas or in the Upanishads. The hypothesis of the Western scholars that the spirit of enquiry, of questioning, has appeared all of a sudden during the The Upanishadic period as a result of aversion towards sacrifices is baseless. The performance of knowledge-oriented works or rituals have always continued in our country, in spite of the great opposition of powerful heretic Aryasects the non-believers in God or Sacrifice ( adeva, ayagna ) we find criticism of ignorant works even in the Veda. There are indications as to how to transform sacrifices of Things into sacrifices of Knowledge. We see detailed discussions regarding these in the beginning of the older Upanishads. In short, however we see it, the The Upanishads are, in the truest sense, an integral and complete vehicle of the knowledge of the Vedas the Vedanta, a great synthesis of Faith and Reason, inspired Knowledge and rational Knowledge, of Works and Knowledge. It is not accidental to describe Vedic Exegesis as Shodash-adhyay consisting of Sixteen Chapters. Behind it lies the great effort of transforming a Shodash-kala Purusha - one infinite Supreme Divinity with sixteen qualities into an enlightening Book of Knowledge. There has been a great deal of debate in the present age regarding the meaning of the term Upanishad. The word is derived from upa-ni sad (to sit). So the primal meaning of the word is, To sit attentively near. From this, western scholars have come to the conclusion that The Upanishad is the knowledge (Vidya) that is received while sitting near the Teacher or Acharya in the solitude of the forest. But it is worth noting that though the fact that one has to go to a Teacher to gather knowledge is mentioned at many places in the The Upanishads, the word either upa-ni sad or ni sad in the sense of To sit is not used anywhere in the older Upanishads! All knowledge had to be acquired by finding a teacher and serving him. Hence all knowledge can be called Upanishad. So it can be said or understood that the root meaning is not applicable here. The word is in fact used in a technical sense. The oldest reference to the word Upanishad is found in a klvilo Sukta of Shakala The Samhita. There we find the phrase Nishat Cha Upanishat cha. 5 We also find in the Mahabharata the phrase Vaceshu anuvaceshu, nishatsu-upanishatsu 6 which means respectively The Mantra or the Samhita, the Brahmana connected with it, the Aranyaka revealing the inner mystic
meanings and the Upanishad which elaborates the metaphysics or underlying philosophy. We also find the word Nishat in its technical sense in both the Samhita and the Brahmana. It means, To experience the inrush of the Divine in one s Being, 7 The Brahmana and the Aranyaka too give its meaning in a technical sense, The Truth or the Secret which is deeply hidden or hidden within. Considering all these, we can come to the conclusions that the root meaning of the word alludes not to man but to God. God descends and takes His seat in the heart of the teacher, and the enlightenment thus experienced by the teacher is The Upanishad. Similarly we see in the Buddhist Sastras that the illuminating word that is heard or received in the ascending consciousness of a Buddha is called Udana. This meaning of an Inspiring word is most natural and traditional. The meaning To receive knowledge by sitting before (near) a teacher is secondary and incidental. Modern scholars criticise Shankaracharya s meaning of Upanishad, That which destroys Ignorance. His meaning may not be according to the rules of grammar, but it has a Vedic background. There is a ritual, a special sacrifice called Upasad in the Soma Sacrifice. The Brahmanas state that the demons built three invincible forts one of iron on earth, one of silver in the mid-regions and one of gold in the heavens. Upasad 8 was the sacrifice that helped the gods to destroy these three forts. We also find in The Rigveda that the word Upasad, like Upasana, is the name for eternal oneness with the Divine.9 Putting together the two meanings, Upanishad would mean, according to spiritual science, destroying the fort of Ignorance. In The Upanishads it is called loosening or cutting the knots of Ignorance. This becomes possible only when the Divine reveals or establishes Himself in the devotee s heart. Both Upasad and Upanishad carry the same inner meaning. So, Shankaracharya s definition is not altogether baseless. Till now, more than two hundred Upanishads have been found. Most of these, of course, are relatively modern. The following are the Upanishads directly connected with the Aranyakas of the Vedas Aitareya, Kaushitaki, Chhandogya, Kena, Taittiriya and Brihad Aranyaka. Mahanarayana or Yagniki Upanishad though included in the Taittiriya Aranyaka is considered a subsequent addition from ancient times. Thus the above six Upanishads, Aitareya etc. alone can be called the oldest Upanishads, judging from the language and manner of expression. They are written in prose, like the Brahmanas. Only the first two chapters of Kenopanishad are in verse. According to scholars, all of them can be dated as pre-buddha, or before the time of Buddha. Though not connected with any Brahmana Katha, the Swetaswatara, Mundaka and Prasna Upanishads too are most probably pre-buddha. The first three are in verse, but the last is mostly in prose. The Mahanarayanopanishad is like the Prasna Upanishad. The Maitrayani and Mandukya Upanishads are also in prose but their prose is not the prose of the Brahmanas. We can say that the lineage of the Vedic Upanishads ends here. Apart from these thirteen Upanishads there is one exceptional Upanishad Isha or Ishavasya. It is not a part of any Brahmana, but is directly a final portion of the Samhita. In short we can say that these fourteen Upanishads are traditionally the representatives and carriers of Vedic tradition. The Vedic Tradition of the Upanishads became popular through Itihasa or History and the Puranas. It became then not shruti ( ear or Veda, transmitted orally like a secret) but smriti (memory), for all to know, like the Bhagawad Gita in the Mahabharata, which is both a Smriti and an Upanishad. If The Upanishads are the inspired words revealed to the seers through their supramental consciousness by the Divine, the Bhagawad Gita can equally claim
that epithet. That is why we find that the inspired and revealed sayings of the prophets of later Vedic or Non-Vedic Sects are also designated as the Upanishad. In this way the term Upanishad has helped in uniting in harmony the varied spiritual attainments of the country of Bharat. Despite any sectarian differences, there is no one who can nullify, defy or denounce another Shruti, and therefore there has been a tendency to synthesise one s own ideas with those of others. Thus in every age the Upanishadic ideal has been an indispensable instrument of bringing about cultural unity in India. Let us now take up the Vedic Upanishads one by one and try to achieve some understanding about them. We will begin with the Ishopanishad of the Shukla (white) Yajurveda. We have already said that this Upanishad is not a part of any Brahmana, but is directly connected with the Samhita. This is its uniqueness. It is a clarion call of the Truth that all actions or deeds are a path to knowledge of the Divine. The light of the Isha Upanashad is a worthy bridge between action and knowledge. Ishopanishad Preface The Isha or Ishavasya Upanishad is the last of the forty chapters of the Shukla Yajurveda. Its name is derived from the opening word of the first mantra, Purnamadah (the Perfect, the Complete, the Absolute). The Yajurveda is also called Karmaveda or Adhvaryu (Somayajna) Veda. Sacrifice is considered as a true deed. Offering something to the gods is yagna or sacrifice. The person who offers is called Yajamana. The articles offered represent the yajamana himself. Thus, to offer a thing is in fact offering one s own self. The rituals of sacrifice have grown complex, and help is required to carrym it out. The Priests, who perform the complex rituals on behalf of the yajamana are called Ritwiks. Somayajna (Adhvara), the paramount of the sacrifices, requires four types of Ritwiks. The chief of the Ritwiks, who pours the oblations and performs the physical details, is called Adhvaryu. According to The Rigveda, He is the creator of the body of the Sacrifice. 1 The mantras with whose help he does so are called yajus. According to The Rigveda these yajus were hidden in the causal-waters as secret Power Centres, through which pass ascending and descending concentrated streams of consciousness, leading to spiritual realisation. In the Yajus reside the mysteries of the unknown, the outpouring of the universal life force and effulgent effusion of the individual consciousness.2 Yajurveda is the repository of all the yaju mantras, with full details about their use and applications in different sacrifices. The Krishna (The Black or the Traditional) and the Shukla (the White or the Purified) are the two streams or schools of Yajurveda. Generally it is said that in Krishna Yajurveda, the Mantra and the Brahmana portions are mixed, whereas in the Shukla Yajurveda they are separate. But this seems to be elementary. at the end of the Shatapatha Brahmana of the Shukla Yajurveda, it is stated that Aditya, the Sun God gave the Shukla Yajus to the great Vajasneya Yagnavalkya who then revealed them to mankind.3 These yajus being effulgent with Aditya consciousness are therefore called Shukla.
In the Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad of Shukla Yajurveda, we find that there were two schools of the Veda, Brahma and Aditya. After Aditya, the first two acharyas or teachers of the Aditya school were Ambhini and her daughter Vac, the seer of the famous Devisukta of the Rig Veda. The effusion of Universal Consciousness that we see in the Devisukta being the inspiration behind the Yajurveda, there can be no doubt that the Yajurveda will be Shukla, shining and purified by the light of Sun. This thought was behind the division of the two schools and so we can say that unlike the Brahma school, the Aditya School is definitely the propounder and upholder of a revolutionary ideal. The acharyas of the school desired to keep the Veda mantras Pure and Fresh i.e. Ayatayam, or that which is not kept overnight or not stale, by keeping their knowledge radiant like the Sun in their hearts. In the Jabala Samhita this school is called Ayatayama because it is the propounder or illuminator of Kritsna karma. We find the word kritsna karma used in its technical sense in the Bhagawad Gita. The Yogi who sees Action in Inaction and Inaction in Action is KitsnaKarma Krit. We find a great similarity with this ideology of the Bhagawad Gita with the ideology of the Vajasneya Samhita or Shukla Yajurveda propounded by Yagnavalkya. Later, we shall see that it is founded on the synthesis of Renunciation and Enjoyment, of Knowledge and Ignorance, of Becoming and Non-Becoming. It is based on the ideal of detachment or unattachment even while doing all kinds or deeds. This is the Sunlit whiteness or Purity of deeds as well as Love for life. Ishopanishad is in verse form, short in length, having only eighteen mantras in the Kanvabranch. But even in these few mantras we have an all comprehensive integral and harmonious vision and philosophy of the Life Divine. It deals with the transformation of greed and lust tainted black and evil deeds into unattached strong, white, pure and good deeds and its culmination in the all-embracing Universal Consciousness. The Upanishadic Purusha is the central theme of this Upanishad. It is worth noting that in this Upanishad there is no mention of the word Brahma as mostly found in other Upanishads. In its place we find the non-relative absolute term Tat and relative positive terms like isha and Purusha. We find also the use of the word Atman. It is also worth noting that the highest Divinity appears here as Aditya, The Sun. In the first portion of the Upanishad there is the synthesis of deeds and knowledge, and at the end we have the outpouring of humble devotion. Thus we have the great synthesis of Works, Knowledge and Devotion, Karma, Jnana and Bhakti as in the Bhagawad Gita revealed by Lord Krishna. While explaining on the Isha Upanishad, the great Acharya Shankaracharya has followed the text of the Kanva Branch of Shukla Yajurveda. Here we shall do the same. Let us begin with the Peace Invocation. PEACE INVOCATION Aum. That unmanifested Brahman is perfect, and This manifested Brahman is also perfect. Fullness emerges from fullness. Taking fullness from fullness, all that remains is fullness. Aum Peace! Peace! Peace! This peace invocation has been taken from one of the Brahmanas of the Brihadarnyaka Upanishad. There, following this mantra we have Om Kham, i.e. Akasha Brahma. Akasha, the Sky or Ether, is the Ancient One. Vayu or Prana, i.e. Air. is in the Sky1. Infinite Sky or Void is
completely filled by infinite Air, and the Upanishad begins with the invocation of this directly experiential mystery of the Infinite. Perfect Fullness, about which the Peace Invocation speaks, is not found through mental thought but through Intuition. The mind is always speculative, ambiguous; it comes to a conclusion after collecting and judging many pros and cons, fitting together pieces of knowledge garnered from different sources, whereas intuitive knowledge is like an illumination, like a sunrise dispelling the dark. Such luminosity is a characteristic of the Ishopanishad. It is therefore made a part of the Samhita rather than a Brahmana. Fullness is the opposite of Desire or Want. No suffering, sorrow, pain nor the agitation which accompany desires or crop up when desires are unfulfilled, exist in Fullness. In the language of the Upanishads the Chitta (the inner organ made up of mind, intellect and ego) of a person who has achieved Fullness is then beyond all wants, unpierced by desires; he is calm and tranquil, like a knower of Brahman. Fullness is full of Still Calm without any waves of attachment. If such peace and calm become normal in the walking consciousness, it brings about the Vastness of Brahman in the outer consciousness and awakens greatness of self in the inner consciousness. Putting together these qualities of Fullness the Chhandogya Upanishad takes the Sky, the Akasha, as its symbol, and says, The Sky that is outside the person (Purusha) has come down into the inner being, and the Sky that is inside him has consolidated in the heart. That Sky is Full and Still, Motionless like the Unmoving Sea full to the brim3. Nothing moves in the Sky. This is one aspect of the Sky. But in this very Sky, the Sun rises, in which the Force of Energy and Light quiver like mercury. In the Upanishads these are called Brahmakshobha 4, the disturbance in Brahman. This disturbance is at the root of Creation, known as the mutation of the immutable5, the radiation in thousands of rays of Idam (This) from That (adah). In this Oneness of the united presence of This and That is the total and complete knowledge of the Sky. That, something undetermined, unknown, far away, beyond everything, transcendent. A pronoun, neither masculine He, nor feminine She but That like neuter It a pronoun avoiding the duality of Purusha and Prakriti, God and Nature, connoting only pure Existence Sat. That Adah is Brahman; where is this, Idam is the field of self-consciousness. That is the support of this. The fullness of our self-consciousness depends on the fullness of the Sky (Akasha). Like crystal balls we are floating in the ocean of Light. Light outsideus is Adah; light inside us is Idam. Both are Full. Fullness of That is gathered, concentrated in this; Fullness of This is expanded in That. The Lights of both are intermingled, together they are One. What is That is verily this. On the transcendental level there is no differentiating between This and That. But on the Universal Natural level difference exists. Were it not so, there would not have been this efflorescence of Fullness. This efflorescent splendour takes the form of the efflux and overflowing of one fullness (This) from the other (That). A cosmic play of interchanging and inter-relatedness appeared between Adah and Idam, He and She, Purusha or God and Prakriti or Nature. It is a dual play the Fullness of That flows out to the Fullness of This, while the Fullness of This endeeavours to rise up and become one with the Fullness of That. This descending and ascending play of mutual intermingling is nothing but a self-movement of an all-round Total Fullness a Divine Dance. In the seas below and in the seas above reigns
Fullness of a supreme, Still Silence and Peace, while in the mid regions between, quiver subtle oscillations of a splashing full vessel in the billowing waters of the Sea. That Fullness which completely pours itself in the being of This and makes it Full, suffers no diminution in doing so. It is an Inexhaustible source which always remains full to the brim despite pouring forth in hundreds of Streams. The Limited Known manifests in the Unlimited Unknown alone. We can talk of addition and deduction or increase and decrease regarding this Limited Known alone, not about the Unknown. Moreover, even this part is also Full and a vehicle of Infinity, just as our body though limited can be a vehicle of infinite thought, feeling and power. The feeling and knowledge of Infinity that the meditation on Tinier than the tiniest and Larger than largest (Greater than Greatest) is three-dimensional. If another dimension is added to it, due to the efflorescence of Power in the natural body-consciousness, that will be the realisation of a four-dimensional Full Infinity. In the Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad, the son of Kauravyayani had called this the Realisation of Brahman due to the complete Union of Akasha and Prana, Sky and Air(stillness and the Life Force. To realise this experience in one s body is the highest achievement that the Lust for Life can bestow by the Union of That and This. In That is the Fullness of Knowledge of Realisation. visualisation of the Full of This in the Full of That. Visualising the Full of This in the Full of That, we see that at one end is the total melting of the Limited into the Unlimited at the other end is the play and efflorescence of the Unlimited into the Limited. While going through this Upanishad we should hold before our mind s eye these great truths proclaimed in the Peace Invocation. Foreword Modern Scholars think that the Ishopanishad was compiled during the last stage of the Shukla Yajurveda. By that time, after many controversies, attacks and counter-attacks, the Vedic Ideas had taken a definite form. There is no doubt, it is quite evident, in this Upanishad there is a bold effort to reconcile and harmonize fundamental opposites; to synthesize many opposites and contradictory ideas coming down from long ages past. The first reconciliation of oppositions is between Enjoyment and Renunciation, between Action and Non-action (Pravritti and Nivritti). This opposition is eternal. Activity for enjoyment is natural to man. At its root is the drive of life force, the Desire, the Lust for Life. It grows into a quest for wealth (Vitteshna) which is nothing but the desire to gather and hoard means and materials for saisfying desires, a Greed for wealth. But the unrestricted satisfaction of desires and wealth is beset with many hindrances and troubles. Moreover, however powerful be the attraction of pleasures, there is in the nature of man a latent attraction for the Good. So man has to control his quest for desires and wealth by the rule of Dharma, The higher law of life. In the Upanishads we find mention of many pillars of Dharma such as Adhyayana (Study),Tapas (Askesis or severe self-discipline), Yagna (Sacrifice), Dana (Charity) and Brahmacharya (Celibacy or Chastity).1 By the practice of such disciplines, discrimination and self-awareness increase in man which differentiates him from mere animal. When self awareness is strong, the witnessconsciousness, the spirit of detachment (non-attachment) grows in the depths of the inner being, which makes a man voyager or pilgrim towards Immortality, a Seeker of Liberation. The momentum for Action then changes direction towards Quietude or Jntroversion. The aspiration for True knowledge arises in the heart of a novice, one who knows not (Na-chiketa).
From the aspiration or urge for knowledge another pair of opposites develops, the opposition of Knowledge and Deeds, Prosperity and Salvation (Abhyudaya and Nihsreyas) i.e. Material Good and Spiritual Good. When the inner attraction toward spirituality is strong, the pleasures of the outer world become tasteless. As Sri Ramakrishna says, Then by overdoing spiritual practices, man immolates himself, his ship then does not return from Kalapani (life Imprisonment) nor does it wish to return. If it does not wish to return from that high state and yet has to return, then another kind of opposition arises, the opposition between this worldly life (Samsara) and Liberation (Moksha), between Bhava (World) and Nirvana (Total Extinction) between the worldly Prosperity i.e. the attainment of the pleasant (Preyas) and the attainment of the spiritual Good (Nihsreyas)-the Summum Bonum (Moksha, Nirvans or Kalvalya). Where lies the solution? If we control Wealth and Desire by the rule of Dharma, life can be prosperous, there can be material success in the world as the duality between Action and Nonaction is solved, The urge or quest for wealth (vitteshna) is satiated. Lokaishna (urge to attain higher worlds) is the inner counterpart of vitteshna. It is the strong urge to attain, ascend to the worlds of the ever illumined world of Brahman (Brahmaloka). Even greater than that is the all consuming, all devouring call of the spiritual state that is beyond all illumined worlds. Beyond the dazzling sunlit Akasha is the formless farm of the deeply densely dark akasha of the starless New Moon Day. Vitteshna had brought about the pleasant, lokaishna had brought about the Good ; whereas this urge or guest for the Lokottara- that which is beyond all worlds brings about the Summum Bonum, the highest Good. One who jumps into the bottomless depths of this Formless Unknown, it is said, may not come back to the shores of the Sunlit worlds of Form. Like the duality of the Pleasant and the Good, this is another duality of the Good and the Summum Bonum. What is Summum Bonum? Is it Existence (Sat) or Non-Existence (Asat), Fullness or Void, Day or Night? In the philosophies (Darshan Shastras) of Bharat-Varsha (India) especially in the Mimamsas (the books which examine or discuss ideas in integratively) and Tarka (Books which follow analytical logical methods) this last duality has arisen and been discussed thoroughly. Mimamsa is the philosophy (Darshana) of the Vedic Aryas, whereas Tarka belongs to the non-vedic Aryas. Both the streams of Mimamsa (Purva and Uttara i.e. East and North) are mostly Positive (Those who believe in Sat, The Existence) and Life-lovers. In Purva Mimamsa we get the ideal of the Rishis, the Seers of the Vedas. They accept life fully in all its forms. The natural result of this acceptance is giving an honourable place to the Householder s life (Grihasthashram) and, without contradicting or superseding it and yet going beyond it to a higher life, to the life of a Vanaprastha (who retires to forest retreats) or a Sannyasin (who renounces the householder s life completely). These are the upholders of Uttar-mimamsa which is based mainly on Vedanta, the Upanishads. Mimamsa, though, does not deny the householder s life; slowly and steadily it has been affected and sometimes heavily influenced by the Tarka-prasthan (ways), which are mostly Life-negating. When two different and powerful ideologies live and work together in the same society, there is no wonder that they will influence one another. When Yagnavalkya appeared in the firmament of the Bharatiya Darshanas, we see clearly these two streams, opposing one another. Looking at his life and discourses, we can see that he had tried to harmonise these two streams and develop an integral philosophy of Life. It was a mighty effort to bring back an intrinsic yoga of the Shining Sun (Vaivaswata) which was lost in the flow of Time, as done later by Sri Krishna. However, like Krishna s, his effort too did not take root in our lives.
Faith and intuition are the base of Mimamsa, whereas askesis or severe self-discipline and intellect are the base of Tarka or Meditation. Faith is effortless, natural, rises in the heart automatically, through inner inspiration like sunlight; whereas effort is required in askesis; the fire is ignited by stirring up the firewood. Beyond Mind is Supermind (Vignana). Intuition is the outcome of Supermind; intellect is the result of Thinking by the Mind. The Mind doubts, reasons; that is natural to it. Intuition does not reason; it gets to truth naturally. The philosophy (darshana) is meaningful and fruitful, if opulence of intellect follows intuition. It happened so in Yagnavalkya. In him the ideology of the Upanishad reached an acme. After him, slowly the light of intuition began to diminish; with its reflection only the intellect kept awake. If one tries to establish the absolute superworldly state with the help of the intellect only, he or she will definitely face opposition with the Worlds or the worldly life. As a result, Gautam Buddha succeeded Yagnavalkya. Following the same stream after a long time we get Adi Shankaracharya whom we can call Yagnavalkya, influenced strongly by Buddha. Inspite of much opposition against (to) his idealism (ideology) it has not been possible for Bharatiya Darshan to completely overcome this opposition of the worldly life and the otherworldly life, between this world (Loka) and the superworld (Lokottara). Therefore we can say, both Sri Krishna and Yagnavalkya have failed so far in our lives. The integral or complete Life philosophy propounded by Yagnavalkya can only come through Intuition, from the intuition of Fullness. This Fullness is both the Fullness of That (adah) and the Fullness of This (idam). The small banyan tree will rise higher and higher towards the Sky, at the same time widening itself all around with the help of the great and powerful Light of the Sun. It will then be the Bodhi Tree or the overrising forest of Sambuddha (highly awakened) consciousness. This is the Life-philosophy of Yagnavalkya and the basis of this Upanishad.